Fire and Ice
by Key and WolfStar-SCA
Summary: Someone in the Slayers has a secret. Lina is getting fed up with Gourry, Zel is getting lonely, and everything gets a little angsty in ch1. ch2 is up, Lina tels Zel what she thinks about his looks. Only WS writing now, but that will change. R&R please
1. Default Chapter

Fire and Ice by: WolfStar_SCA & Cathren Keysha Tiger (Famous Twins)  
  
*Flash Back* It was almost a full 400 years before any of the Slayers were aware of each other's existance, but one in the group had grown up knowing the story well.  
  
It was at the spring festival that it was agreed that they would be presented to the town. Cousins born but weeks apart, would be on this night, recognized as future people. Daros, son of the butcher, had hair that was so black, even in the light, it shone only that darkest of shades. His crystal blue eyeswould peice one's soul with his stedy gaze. Even at that early age, he calculated all that surounded him.  
  
Majonin was, on the other hand, the baker's son, and had hair that was so white, one could see it in the black of night. Orbs of sky hued tints that calculated their suroundings constantly, had the efect on you of being able to see the dark that hid so well behind the light.  
  
Their mothers, twin sisters of identical looks, took them to the stated festival and had them adored by all that were around them. "Oh how cute!" the crouds would say, "You must be so proud."  
  
And they were proud parents, but had they known what their beautiful bouncing baby boys would one day do, they would have left them to die right then and there.  
  
***  
  
Daros and Majonin had grown up as best friends and biggest rivals. Both had stubborn personalities that made it so they never would back down from a fight.  
  
As young children it was shown that they both had an excellent talent in that of magic making, and in battle making. By the time that were five, they had started their magic training. By seven they were known as the Child Prodigy Soul-Twins for their intelligence was better than many adults.  
  
They would often get into fights with other kids, and if something went wrong, the whole town knew who to turn to. By the time they were ten, it was clear to both that they would only have one who could compare to their skill, each other.  
  
They went as friendly rivals until they were fourteen and of an age to be getting interested in ones of the opposite sex. It was the shaman's daughter that caught their eyes, as well as the eyes of every other single man for miles around.  
  
In the beginning, the young girl was just one more thing for them to have a friendly competition over. But when she showed no interest in either, it became something of a challenge to get to her first. The challenge brought up frustration of failure.Frustration brought up dislike for the other. Dislike brought up hate. And hate brought up loathing.  
  
Daros and Majonin, a friendship made in heaven, the perfect duo, inseparable from birth, were now arch enemies, and one of the most feared forces on the planet. By the time they were twenty-three they had both forgot everything about living other than to fight the other and prove themselves once and for all.  
  
Now the object that had started this fight, the pretty young shaman's daughter, had caught the eye of a merchant from a neighbouring town and she had run off with him. So in truth, they were fighting over something that had long since left, but that is the way with humans, they get so into fighting they forget how it all started and end up fighting a war over some silly little thing like who's side of the fence the apples have fallen. (That is from some old movie, I cant even remember what it was now.)  
  
The two soul-brothers continued to battle this war of theirs over the next eighty years. Both old and gary, with no loved ones and no friends, the only thing they had to live for was to beat the other.  
  
Daros was the best fire-wielder the world had ever seen, and was still yet to see. Majonin was his opposite and equal in all things, being that he was the best ice-wielder to ever walk the face of that plain of existence. They were equal and the same in every aspect, and they hated each other for it.  
  
The two men warred endlessly in the small town that was there home, everyone was afraid to venture near there. Then, one day, they had done something that had never been achieved before. They created simultaneously, two etimentals, each with the power they themselves had most excelled in. The etimentals were so high a rank, they looked like humans, other than their hair WAS there own respective element. *End Flash Back* Lina and Gourry had been travelling solo (or would that be duo?) together for almost four months now. Over this time of not having anyone else around, they had grown quite close, looking to each other for the help and support they had never thought to look for before.  
  
It was late. They were cold. They had snuggled up to keep warm. And one thing had led to another. (Nothing prevrted you sick-ohs!) Then after that, they were a couple. Well. sort of.  
  
They were still the same Lina and Gourry, but they were on closer terms. It was almost to the point in witch they really only kissed cause they were board. or Lina was board, Gourry wasn't really intelligent enough to want to make out.  
  
But in all honesty, Lina was starting to look at the coupling as a bad idea. It wasn't that Gourry was a bad guy, actually he was one of the nicest and most helpful she knew, but when she talked to him, she couldn't help but feel as if she were talking to a child. She knew he was older that her, almost as old as her sister, but his intellect was so lacking! She found herself having to explain everything to him so many times over that she started to feel like she was spending her time with a forever-child. [By LoN! Now I know how poor Zel must have felt, having to babysit Amelia all the time! Poor Amelia, Zel looked at her as nothing more than a little sister! She seemed to have a crush on him. like the type that young girls get for guy idols.] Lina glanced up from the map she was reading. [How helpful it would be if Zel were here.]  
  
***  
  
Zel sat alone, he had been avoiding cities since he broke up with Lina and co. He really didn't like going in among people with out the security of his friends. There were too many of 'those' looks. When he had friends around, people seemed to treat him better, as if the fact someone else could trust him meant they could.  
He had stopped by a town not long ago and noticed Lina and Gourry. He was going to go and see them, but just before he called out Lina's name, he saw something that made him not want to go near another person again.  
  
Lina and Gourry were sitting on a bench, Lina was clearly looking over some documents. Then Gourry had said something clearly funny, and Lina started to laugh. Then she leaned over and gave Gourry a kiss on the lips. And Zel ducked into the darkness, planing to never see them again.  
  
You see, Zel had been in love with Lina from almost the beginning. He had always been appreciative of the fact she never. NOT ONCE. treated at him any differently just because he looked different. He had known from the beginning that if he was ever to get love returned in this form, there would be a better chace that she would be that one. It was sort of a mixture of that knowledge, his thirst for greater magic, and her attitude that drew Zel to her. True, he had seen more attractive ladies in his life, and far more shapely as well, but if he ever picked a girl for her looks over one for her attitude, he would probably commit suicide at the realization.  
  
He could go and find Amelia, she wouldn't mind his looks, but she was also an annoying pest most the time, she had little to no power in comparison to himself and Lina, she couldn't fight with any weapns persay, and worst of was that she was so. childish!  
  
No. Amelia would never work out with him. Shylfiel. she at least was older. she was also stronger. but there was that fact she bore a slight resemblance to Xellos. he wondered how a human could look like a Mazoku. and she also had way to much interest in Gourry. But Gourry was taken by Lina now.  
  
It would be a better mach than with Amelia, but he didn't know if he could stand her naive attitude for long. Next and last girl that had simply put up with his looks was Filia. the plain indignation of a though sent a shiver down his spine. Him and the Crazy-Dragon didn't really get along, and he didn't want to even think of what it would be like to raze Val and always having to put up with Jirasu, Kurabos, and even at times (just to be annoying) Xellos.  
  
Nope. None of them would work, especially with Lina's habit to show up with no warning just to visit.  
  
Zel cleared his mind of the subject as it started to rain lightly. Zel gathered his things and found a bit of shelter and went to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Lina had now been with Gourry alone for nearly six months. She was to the point that she regretted ever kissing him in the first place. She had to get on her own again soon, for more reasons than one, so she decided to do it this night. She waited until she was sure the large dumb swordsman would be asleep, then slipped a quick note under his door.  
  
She ran as fast as she could to get away from the town before her long time travelling partner and guardian woke up. She felt really bad about doing this. but this was her way! She did this with all her travelling partners when she couldn't stand putting up with them anymore.  
  
The little snob of a travelling partner she had had when she was with Naga all those years back had told her the night before her and Naga had abandoned the girl that it was all her fault.  
  
She had said that how Lina acted caused people to be mean to her and hate her. That that was why Naga was the only one she was travelling with. She said that Naga had felt sorry for Lina and was just putting up with her because she was a little girl that needed to be protected and babysat.  
  
Lina had been stung by those words. She had stormed up to her room and spent the rest of the hour crying her eyes out. Then she had never cried again. Gourry was like another Naga, oblivious to what Lina really was like and what she really needed! Amelia. she reminded her so much of Serena... though Serena's abilities are closer to Gourry. Marelen was like a clone of a sertain now-married-ex-princess that followed Lina and co around for a while. Really, she kept running into the same TYPE of people.  
  
She got tiered and sat on a rock. The rock was a granite-type mini-bolder. It had a slight blue tint to it. [This is the same colour as the rocks that make up the little stones imbedded in Zel's face.] she stared at it for a bit more, uncontious smile on her lips [.Zel. Zelgadis Greywers. Sigh! how much I could confess to him! He was like. was like. like Norman, and Phil, and Melody! Yes, he understood me like the three blobs did! .I miss those little critters. I miss Zel. I miss Zel more. much, much more!]  
  
Lina started walking again. Not really paying attention to anything, too lost in thought. [She. she said it was all my fault. she said it was my fault that everyone hated me. does everyone hate me? Or was that only something that Marelen said to get at me? Well it worked. everyone does hate me. everyone. my sister hates me. Naga hates me. Serena hates me. Jeffry hates me. Marelen hates me. everyone from the towns hate me. Norman, Phil, and Melody. well, I think at least they don't hate me. but Amelia hates me. and Zel hates me. and. and Xellos hates me. and I hate Xellos. and Martina hates me. and Zangulus hates me. and Filia hates me. and Shylfiel hates me. and Gourry will hate me when he reads that letter. and Valgrav hates me. and. and. and Zel hates me.]  
  
Lina couldn't take another step. She fell to the ground right then and there and started to cry half a lifetimes worth of tears. The weird thing was that only two things were running through her head. #1) everyone hated her, and #2) Zel hated her.  
  
She saw Zel as her best friend for so long, someone that she would always be able to go to for help or comfort. Her last standing post. her last friend. the last one she could turn to if everyone let her down. And she had noticed him walking away from her and Gourry about three months before and she was stupid enough to let him just walk away! And now he hated her too.  
  
Lina didn't want to continue! The world would better off without her! She wished she had never been born! She crawled to the side of the road, from there she pulled out her sword and placed it between her knees so that the blade sat horizontally. With a face full of tears and choking on her own breath, Lina pressed her wrists to the edges of the blade.  
  
Before she blacked out from loss of blood, she could have sworn she heard someone call her name.  
  
***  
  
Zel had decided that foraging for food in the woods was all fine and dandy, but that he needed new supplies that he could only get in town. So, hoping with all his might that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew, he headed to the nearest town.  
  
He had been travelling for what seemed like forever before he reached the part of the road that was well used. Up ahead he saw a familiar form laying collapsed in the dirt road. It was Lina! She was moving so he knew she was alive, the next thing that came to mind was to hide before he was seen!  
  
[Oh LoN!! Why? Out of everyone you could have me run into, why HER?!?] Zel couldn't help himself, he looked around the tree he was hiding behind and stared at her for a long time. Something. something was. off! Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning! [Wait a second? Where is Gourry? Why isn't he with her? And why would she be laying in the middle of the road?!?]  
  
Just before he was about to go to see if she was alright, she pulled herself up. She didn't see him, just crawled over to the side of the road. Zel didn't watch any longer. He ducked back around behind the tree. [She's upset about something! She's crying! I've never seen her cry before... is she crying over Gourry? Could they have broken up? Is that why she is crying?] Zel felt a twinge of jealousy that Gourry would get Lina, and a bit of anger at the thought that he may have just thrown her away like an old broken toy that you didn't want anymore.  
  
Zel heard a small whimper of pain. He wanted so badly to go see if Lina was alright, but at the same time, he didn't dare. Finally after a few moments, temptation took over. He looked back around the tree and saw something strange. It took his brain a moment to proses the information that was there before him. Lina was pulling her wrists off of a now red blade. SHE WAS COMMITTING SUICIDE!!!! [No Lina! NO!!] Zel thought as he ran towards her. He picked up the pace as he saw her collapse. "LINA!!"  
  
He waisted no time in dropping to his knees and began the healing spell. [Stupid! If you wouldn't have been so worried about what you felt and just approached her, you could have prevented this! Gourry, if you are the cause of this, I will hunt you down and kill you with my own hands!]  
  
The wounds were healed, but Lina had lost a lot of blood. [Hmmm. those are her tracks leading away from the village. I'd recognize her tracks anywhere! .I don't think it would be smart to take her back there, in case it may make her depressed even more and she try this again.] Zel scooped the unconscious Lina into his arms and darted into the woods.  
  
He walked for a good hour and found a small meadow with a stream running through it. Zel cleaned Lina's blade, but decided that she was probably to unstable to keep it, so he attached it to his right hip instead. (HIS sword is on his left hip.) He then preceded to care for Lina until she woke up.  
  
***  
  
Gourry had woken up a few hours before. He just sat there in his room dumbfoundedly. He had read the letter over so many times that he thought he would have it memorized for life and a half.  
  
The letter read as following: Gourry, I know you probably won't like hearing this, but its just the way I am. There is nothing wrong with you persay, other than the fact you have yogurt for brains, the problem I suppose is with me! I never wanted anyone to follow me around and be my bodyguard, especially when they remove all there own wants and dreams. I need to get away from everyone every now and again. Maybe we will meet up one day in the future again. I want you to go and live your own life! Forget about me, and go find your own dreams back. There has to be something out there that you are wanting other than to chase a crazy sorceress around. I am removing all your ties, releasing you from your promise, and saying what is most likely my final good-bye. Your friend, Lina Inverse  
  
That was it! When he had asked around, everyone said she had left a few minutes after she had gone to her room! There was no way to tell where she had gone, and it would take forever to find a lead. [Oh Lina! Didn't you understand what I meant when I said that I would protect you forever?!?] A tear ran down Gourry's face as he thought of her.  
  
***  
  
Lina heard water running, and she smelt the sent of sweet and growing grass. She slowly opened her eyes. She was staring up at a canopy of three or four trees. Beyond that was a bright blue sky with white little clouds. The sun beating down on her face was so warm and comforting.  
  
[LoN! Am I in heaven?] she wondered as she tried to sit up. She was forced back down by a pair of strong, sturdy hands.  
  
"Don't move, you lost a lot of blood." the voice was familiar. she defenetly knew that voice!  
  
"Zel!" she all but screamed his name as she pounced into his arms. Instantly she found that that was a bad idea, and went limp with weakness. Zel's arms were laying her back down immediately.  
  
"Lina, I told you not to move, I almost didn't make it in time to save you, you lost almost too much blood to stay alive!" his voice was firm, but there was a hint of worry in it. [I can't loose you! You have to stay rested or you'll die! I couldn't bare it!]  
  
There was a long pause before Lina spoke, "Zel.?"  
  
"Yes Lina?"  
  
"Do you. why do you hate me?"  
  
Zel was speechless at that comment, [Hate you?!? Are you crazy, Lina? I don't hate you! I love you!] Zel's mind screamed. "Why would you think I hate you?"  
  
"Everyone hates me. I just get in the way and get people mad."  
  
"[Is that why she.?] Lina. That's not true! I don't hate you!" Zel reassured her [On the contrary! I love you!]  
  
"Hmph! That makes five of us. Lina doesn't hate Lina, Norman doesn't hate Lina, Phil doesn't hate Lina, Melody doesn't hate Lina. and Zel doesn't hate Lina." she trailed off as she went back to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Lina had been in the field watching the birds most the morning long. She had become strong enough that she could be perched up against a tree. Zel had been hunting in the meadow, so Lina didn't have anyone to talk to.  
  
Instead of being bored all morning, Lina decided to draw in the dirt at the base of the tree. As she did so she started humming an erie yet beautiful tune, which soon changed from humming into singing la-da-da's, and finally into singing the words with it.  
  
Zel had been there for the last five or six minutes, but he didn't say anything. Lina had an amazingly pretty singing voice, and he was enjoying the sound.  
  
"When the last eagle flies, over that last crumbling mountain, And the last lion roars, at the last dusty fountain. In the shadows of the forest, though she may be old and worn, They will stair, unbelieving, at the last unicorn. When the first breath of winter, through the flowers is icing, And you look to the north, and the pail moon is rising, And it seems as all is dying, and would leave the world to morn, In the distance, hear the laughter, of the last unicorn! I'm alive! I'm alive!." Lina chose that moment to look up. At the sight of Zel standing there, clearly being there for a wile, she blushed furiously. ".Erh."  
  
"Your a really nice singer, you know that? What was that song? I've never heard it before." Zel asked as he sat down beside her.  
  
"I-it's just something my mother use to sing to me when I was having a bad day. it was a common song from where I hail from." Lina said, trying to hide her embarrassment. (The song is called 'The Last Unicorn' it is the theme song for a wonderful movie under the same title, and I have no idea who wrote it or sang it.)  
  
"It's nice. I like it! You have a good singing voice! I don't think many could hit those notes as fine and presice as you do." they met eyes and both blushed and turned away.  
  
They sat in silence for a while, just relaxing and having a comforting moment. Lina, having the song stuck in her head too well, started to hum it again, then soon she was singing. Zel found some wood and used it to make a make-shift guitar. He began to strum the song.  
  
This caught Lina by surprise. "Wow, Zel. I didn't know you could play!" Lina's eyes went big as she realised how good he was.  
  
Her reaction to him caused Zel to blush "Well. it's just something I picked up as a hobby a long time ago."  
  
"I like it. play something more!" Lina demanded.  
  
They spent most the rest of the day showing off little hidden talents and swapping old bards tails that they heard to the best of there abilities. Zel and Lina learned a lot about each other that day, Zel decided even more that he was in love, and Lina was all the more positive that he had to be her best friend in the whole world.  
  
***  
  
Lina was back to full strength again. Zel was still refusing to give her back her weapon, for more reasons than one, and Lina wasn't too pleased about it.  
  
"But Zel! What if we're attacked and I have to fight to take care of myself but can't because I don't have a sword?" Lina screamed in her own defence.  
  
This one stunned Zel, it actually took him a minute to come up with a response. "If we are under attack, I will give you your weapon, but other than that my answer is still 'no'!"  
  
"But why?!?"  
  
Zel's face went even more serious than before, "You nearly slit your wrists a little under a month ago, for no reason other than some fake and foolish belief that you were unlo-unapreatieated by your friends. And you ask me why I am unwilling to give you back your weapon?" Zel knew Lina had caught him making a correction of words, and silently cursed his run-away heart.  
  
"What makes you think that not giving me my sword back would stop me from trying again?" Lina asked truthfully, "Besides, its NOT a fake assumption. everyone does hate me." she added so low that only Zel's sensitive ears made it possible for him to hear.  
  
"ENOUGH!!! I am sick and tiered of you playing this whole 'oh, poor me' routine! The world DOES NOT hate you!" Zel couldn't help but yell at her. The way she flinched, the way she seemed to sink to try and disappear, the way she was on the verge of tears, but were fighting them so hard. Zel so dearly wanted to apologize as it felt like part of his soul had been ripped out and thrown on the ground.  
  
Lina sat there for a few minutes, willing with all her might for the tears to stop coming to her eyes. Zel had said that she was playing a stupid little game. her only friend was now mad at her as well. She didn't want him to get any madder, so she tried not to show how deep and thoroughly his words had hurt her.  
  
Finding that she couldn't stop the tears from coming up, she got up and ran to her bed roll to hide beneath the blankets so he wouldn't have to see her 'play' that she was weak and sad and sorry and. and. and hurt!  
  
Zel sat there for a moment and watched the blankets shake and shiver as the sound of muffled drowned out sobs seeped out from beneath them. He felt like a monster for what he had said! Her, in her condition, and he had yelled at her about the very thing that was her apparent weakness. One that he himself shared.  
  
***  
  
It was nearly midnight when Lina finally managed to get strength enough to crawl from under her blankets. She wasn't sure if she was happy or not to find Zel sleeping soundly on his bedroll. "You don't want me either. it's best this way. now I wont have to slow you down in finding your cure or make you mad because I'm weak." she explained to his sleeping form in a mummer as she quickly packed her posetions, slipped her sword from off his belt, and backed away.  
  
Her step faultered only once as she turned to give one last look to the last person on the planet that she could call a friend. With tears in her eyes that she never really expected to be there, she turned and ran away.  
  
***  
  
Zel woke surprisingly late in the morning. The first thoughts that greeted him were on how he had stayed up through most of the night, watching Lina's form shake with rasping sobs that had long lost both sound and tears. His heart was tied in knots, his stomach filled with wholes, his thought and eyes were set ablaze as he thought of what he had said to her, and even more so when he recalled the look of compleat and utter torment that had covered her every feature when he had screamed those dreadful words in rage.  
  
Wait a sec. Lina. WHERE WAS LINA!?!?!?! He shot up and looked around frantically. She was no were in sight. No sign that she had been there the night before could be seen at first glance.  
  
His eyes fell instantly to where he had let her blade lay for the last month or so. Finding it missing, his mind panicked. [NO!!!!! Not again! Never again! NO!! I-I can't loose her. I just can't!] He jumped to his feet and studied the ground. At one point he had been one of the best trackers in his birth-town. Now, more than ever before, he was thankful he bothered with that skill.  
  
This would not be the first time he would be tracking the petite sorceress, in fact he had often tracked her--her, not the others--to catch up or to find them back when he got lonely. He knew Lina's tracks so well that he could even tell what mood she was in, who she was talking to, and even at times what those conversations were about, just by the ways she lay her feet.  
  
Yes he knew her well, far more than even he realized at times. But now, more than ever he was thankful he had learned her so well. He was her forever admirer from on far, never to dare come close... at least not till he looked a little more like a human.  
  
But now was no time to dwell on his hideous looks or ill-tempered behaviour. Now was time to find and protect the one who aperantly unknowingly held his heart. even if he must protect her from herself.  
  
He tracked her until she had reached a city a few weeks later. In the city tracking was a little harder for there were more people moving over the tracks, but he was fortunate enough that she had taken roads a little less travelled on, though not by much, in his guess to make sure that she was not seen as being so depressed.  
  
[Oh Lina! I never meant to hurt you so! I am SO sorry.] he thought as he absently traced a finger along the outline of her tiny footprint in the dusty street.  
  
***  
  
It was late at night, Lina was really the only person in the inn still awake. She was receiving nasty glares from the innkeeper, for the pudgy old man wished to go to sleep. She did her best to ignore him, her mind absently trailing along the thought line that even strangers hated her.  
  
A shadow cast above her as a figure of someone, she really didn't care who, came between her and the lamp that gently luminated the room. She felt her blood run cold as the figure spoke to her though.  
  
"You shouldn't just take off like that, you know Lina, it could be considered rude."  
  
*********************************************************************** Well, that's chapter one, what do you think? I know it's kind of on the mushy side right now, and rather brief, I hope to make the next one a little longer. I'm going to be adding in all the characters in the series. well, most anyway, will be showing in this story, even some of the minor characters. This isn't going to be a story soully on Lina and Zel, but it will go into them rather indepthly. It most likely wont take all that long to be able to tell who the flash backs are referring to, but if I'm a good enough writer to keep it a secret for long, I will be very surprised.My sister, suprisingly enough, hasn't figured out enough about Slayers yet to join in the writing, but I am positive she will sooner or later. Like most of my other stories, this one will contain millions of little twists and turns, and hopefully they wont be too awfully predictable, though some might, unfortunately. Anyway, if you have any QCC e-mail them to me at WolfStar_SCA@hotmail.com Shade and Sweet Water everyone! *********************************************************************** 


	2. chapter 2

Chapter 2: *Flash back* The wizards brought the fire and ice elementals with them into battle. Like their respective masters, the two elementals were of equal strength. The two Titan-forced beings battled, the ice elemental wielded more magic spells, she was clearly the longer distance fighter, casting one hard- hitting ice-bast after another at the fire elemental. He on the other hand, seemed to be an inclose fighter, he had a heat-wall(wave?) that would cancel out any of her spells, but it was only at a radius of one or two feet. When he would get close to her, he would attack full out with magically charged fire weapons and other close range spells.  
  
As they wrestled one and other, Daros and Majonin finally killed each other off. The two elementals stopped and looked at the dead forms of their respective masters. they blinked. looked at each other. blinked. looked at the other's master. blinked. (Note: when an elementals master dies, they have nothing to keep them in this world, and they return. but not these two.) They stood there for a bit, exchanged a few words, and found no reason that they should be fighting! With that new discovery, they both parted on neutral terms, and went their separate ways.  
  
They met up in local gathering places many times, yet had little to say to each other and little want of useless, nonsensical chatter, so they hardly opened there mouths to speak. One such occasion, they had been the last two at the party being that elementals never sleep, they had sat on the ground beside each other, just far enough away that it was comfortable, yet close enough that if it were any other pair that were on neutral terms they would strike up a conversation, but these two just sat their like they were all by themselves in the world.  
  
In the beginning, the towns people were afraid they would end up like their creators, but that fear soon fell to the realization that they were two beings that were VERY different than there ex-masters.  
  
It took a while, but over time, the two found they had much in common, and started to spend more time together. Icis, as she named herself, relied mainly upon the spells she could cast for long distance affects. Fire, who was far less creative than his spell-wielding counter-part, relied on a sword more often than not. *Flash back ends*  
  
Lina felt as if she were going to cry! Why couldn't he just leave her to wither up and die? He had proclaimed himself that he didn't want to see her again. well, not exactly, but it was close enough! So why did he just have to waltz back into her life when she felt for the first time since she was five that she just might have the slightest chance of standing, if only for the barest moment, on her own two feet.  
  
"Yes, Zel?"  
  
"Yes what?"  
  
"You are here. why?"  
  
Zel felt like he had been stabbed in the heart [Why?!? You ask me 'WHY'?!? Because I love you more than life itself, because I would sell my soul to hear you say 'I love you' back. Because I would give up my deepest desires and wildest dreams if you told me to, and replace them with what ever it is you want of me. and you ask me why?] but he replied all to coldly, "You are really something particular, you know that?"  
  
When sad and vacant ruby-fire eyes looked up at him, he forced a half smile that faded far faster than he would have liked. He sat down across from her, looking deep into her silent hollow form through her soul's window. She finally after a while lowered her eyes and returned her dead looks to the table. After a long time of silence, Zel glanced over and noticed the displeased bartender.  
  
"Lina.?" Zel asked her name softly to warn he was going to ask a question.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Lina.?" he asked again a little louder.  
  
Silence.  
  
Zel got up and went to talk to the bard. "Please, forgive my asking, my friend is going through some hard times, what is her room number?" after being told, he returned to Lina once more. "Lina. Lina it is time to go to bed." as he expected he got no response. Wherever she was, it was to far away to hear. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the room; she gave no reply, but reached out and grabbed one of the lanterns as they passed it, hugging it tightly to herself.  
  
He took her up the stairs and into her room, after laying her on her bed, he attempted to remove the lamp from her hands. She held fast to it, and he nearly ripped it from her grasp when she gave a desperate whimpering wail just over a quivering breath.  
  
He stopped for a moment and looked at her, she was clearly tired, and looked a little afraid, as she clung to the glass that surrounded the oil and wick as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. He finally said sternly, "Lina. give it to me."  
  
She clutched it tighter and shook her head vigorously from side to side.  
  
"Lina. you can't sleep with it! You'll let it tip and it will start a fire and burn the building down, most likely killing you and most the other people here."  
  
"Good." she stated, pouting.  
  
"Lina." his voice was soft now, and was tinged with pain and suffering. "If that's the way you will have it, then I shall burn with you."  
  
The look of shock on her face made it look as if her eyeballs were to fall out of her head. "NO! You can't die! You're my best friend! My ONLY friend! You can't die! I won't let you!" The distressed teenager rushed forward and flung her arms around his neck, sobbing out her fear, pain, and confusion.  
  
His face was a mixture of pain, relief, and gentleness as he whispered to her, "I'm so glad."  
  
***  
  
Princess Amelia sat in her father's study. Being a Princess was really very boring. She so longed to go and travel the world again with Ms. Lina and Mr. Goury, maybe Mr. Xellos, and most of all Mr. Zelgadis. She gave a little sigh as she thought about her always-daydream of her and him pronouncing their love for one and other.  
  
She knew it would never happen, she was far to shy to let her heart be known to him, and she knew he was just to quiet to pronounce the feelings she KNEW just HAD to be there. So she and him would go on being secret lovers forever. or at least until she found someone else.  
  
She knew he was secretly harboring feelings for her because of that dazed look, that far off dreamy one he would get when he thought no one looking. He would often sigh, and now and again blush a little when like that. So she knew he HAD to love her just as ravenously as she loved him.  
  
So goes the mind of the uneducated child when it comes to such affairs as these. But a maid coming rushing into the room interrupted her visions on a future that would never come. "Princess! Princess, your friend Mr. Goury is here to see you!"  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis too?"  
  
"Sadly no Princess, only Mr. Goury." her maids all knew that she was in love with Zelgadis, so their was no odd looks at her asking.  
  
"Only... hey wait a sec! Ms. Lina isn't with him either?"  
  
"No Princess, only Mr. Goury."  
  
"What could have happened? Have you checked everything in the palace that is of any value?"  
  
"Yes Princess, Ms. Lina is not here."  
  
"Oh no! Poor Ms. Lina! She was SO in love with him!"  
  
The maid gave a skeptical look, but said nothing to that comment. Every time she had seen the two, they always acted in her eyes like really good friends. But she didn't know them that well; they could act very different in different situations. "Would you like me to send him in?"  
  
"At once!"  
  
To her surprise, a very pitiful looking swordsman came in a moment later. "Amelia. I didn't know where else to look. I was hoping Lina would be here."  
  
"Mr. Goury. what happened to her?"  
  
He let her read the letter, and he told on how he had thought harder than he had ever thought before and had come up with the conclusion that she may have come here, but now that she wasn't. He didn't have the slightest clue on where to go and look for her! Amelia promised in the name of justice that she would help him find Lina back, and on the flip side, would not only get out of here and to somewhere more entertaining. But may even run into Zel again and get to dump Goury off and have Zel escort her back home.  
  
***  
  
Lina and Zelgadis sat under a tree; they were having a picnic lunch in a field in between towns. Lina was acting more like herself each day, but every now and again it would flash for a half-hour or so, she would get all depressed. But today she had had no such moments, she had been smiling and laughing since dawn.  
  
But on this very moment, it was not her who was laughing so deep and richly that it filled the field, it was Zelgadis. You see, for the last twenty minutes or so she had had a little 'visitor' that would not leave her nose be! The beautifully colored butterfly had come and landed on her nose, getting a face in response that made Zel chuckle.  
  
As she tried to look at the butterfly, its wings were beating to cover her red eyes. The design on the wings perfectly covered her eyes so it looked like she was only warring a mask to cover her elegant features. She proceeded to shake her head ecstatically to remove the bug, it worked in a way, the butterfly flew up and made a circle before landing again on her nose.  
  
When she had shook her head so much it had given her a headache, she proceeded to attempt to swat the bug away getting little worse of a reply. Now she sat there, legs crossed, hands holding her ankles, head cocked to one side, and giving the bug on her now bruised nose the cutest little angry pout that Zelgadis had ever seen. Zelgadis couldn't help but laugh his heart out.  
  
"You really are something, you know that?" he said as he slowly and genitally led the bug off of her nose and onto his finger. He smiled at himself at how careful he was never to touch his skin to hers, so not to scare her off at the feeling of stony, rough, cold hands.  
  
Lina could only guess on what his skin felt like, but the time or two that she had wondered, she had guessed it much like a smoothed slate surface. "You always say that, you know." Lina lean in closer to study the beautifully marked Monarch Butterfly, going to great lengths to keep her nose at bay.  
  
"It's always true, too." he replied without a pause.  
  
"Well, you could think up something new to say. It is getting pretty old, you know." she playfully scolded as she positioned herself more comfortably to watch the bug... she was laying across his lap.  
  
Fighting down a blush, and bowing his head to hide it, he replied, equally playfully, "Then I am afraid I will have to strive harder to please, then, milady."  
  
All was quiet for a while, before Lina inquired on something in a rather unusual way. "I like you better like this when we're traveling alone. Why don't you ever act like this when we're with others?"  
  
Though the question-so innocent that it didn't even bring a blush to Lina's cheeks to ask it-was a simple enough one, Zelgadis-who was blushing like a school girl-stumbled and grabbed in the dark recesses of his mind for an answer to such a personal question, tied in to all that he felt, that didn't give away his feelings plain out. "I just. I don't know, I just don't feel as. relaxed. in larger groups."  
  
"You aren't ugly, and you aren't a monster." the answer was so devoid of emotion that, though she had never really voiced this opinion before, it was clear that she had that answer made up for a long time now. "But lets not get into that, shall we? It always seems to have the habit of depressing you."  
  
***  
  
"Excuse me, Sir?" a young voice asked.  
  
"Yes, Amelia, what would you like?" the man in beggar clothes turned to face the young teen.  
  
"MR. XELLOS?!?"  
  
"Yes, I know who I am, what can I help you with though, my dear?" Xellos, the legendary Trickster Priest of the Beast Master Zellas Matellium asked, with his trade-mark-closed-eyed-smile.  
  
"We're looking for Ms. Lina. Have you seen her recently?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Mr. Xellos! You do remember who Ms. Lina is, don't you?!?"  
  
"That's a secret!"  
  
"Do you know where she might be?"  
  
"That's a secret!"  
  
"Do you know of anyone around that can give us a strait answer?"  
  
"That's a secret!"  
  
"Mr. Xellos!" Amelia whined.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Mr. Xellos! Don't you even remember your own name?!?"  
  
"That's a secret!"  
  
"." Amelia had made the mistake that most people who know Xellos make, she forgot the fact that he avoids giving a strait answer to all of his capability, unless he believes it to be of his own entertainment to do so.  
  
***  
  
"Zel... I'm hungry." Lina whined as they walked side by side.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Zelgadis just replied with a simple, "We're almost in town, Lina, you can get some food there."  
  
"Really? What town are we going to anyways?" Lina asked, excited at the prospect of food in her endless pit of a stomach.  
  
"Norvulk Hills." Zelgadis replied without thought. Then he looked over at Lina and playfully shook his head. "I think you got hollow legs. No one should eat as much as you do and not loose their figure unless they do."  
  
"Humph.Sigh! You're the first PERSON that didn't know me before the transformation to treat me like I deserve to have a chance at living. Let alone, the first woman." He didn't know if she would catch his referring to her as a woman instead of a girl, but part of him wanted to let her know that not everyone thought of her as just a child.  
  
"Maybe no one treats you like a person, because you don't treat yourself like one. You don't hold yourself like someone who deems themselves worthy of human contact, or attention, or respect, so if you don't demand it... humans have a nasty way of cutting people down as much as they can, to prove that they're the best. If you let them do that, then they see that in you and they take advantage. Your too good for that Zel, I know you are. You are strong, fast, smart, funny when you let yourself be, powerful... everything that you wanted you are, and more. You're sweet, kind, cute, caring, and an all around nice guy, Zel. You have no idea the shortage of nice guys on this planet. Every girl wants one, but there just aren't enough to go around. All you have to do is be yourself like you are when it's just the two of us alone, and you'll have girls throwing themselves at your feet! But anyways, enough of that, I'm hungry, let's go."  
  
Zelgadis had nothing more to do then follow numbly behind. She thought he was cute? I told you that my sister would join me in this project eventually, yes? Well, she was surfing anipike.com the other day and, well. lets just say she got herself introduced to the concept of 'Mazoku'. And from their she fell in love with the concept that there is SOMETHING in the wide world of anime/manga that think and process info and react like her. So do look forward to having her wonderful (though often odd and peculiar sense of humorous) writing in the next chapter. But we've kind of got stuck, we don't know how Amelia, Goury, and Xellos will meet up with Lina and Zel. Anyone got any suggestions to help make this story go a little faster? Anyway, if you have any QCC, e-mail me at WolfStar_SCA@hotmail.com. Shade and Sweet Water! 


End file.
